WordPress’ Weekly Photo Challenge allows for multiple interpretations. And not so strangely, one plus one can equal more than the sum of its parts. As with any form of visual arts the still image can coax the viewer to extract little or multitudes from its content. Subjects can bow to each other, oppose each other, lean against each other, tickle each other, divert each other, electrify each other, snob each other, and on and on.

In the Lens section three of my photographs are examples that decipher meaning from the challenge.

Photograph One: “Clouds and Wall” was shot at the end of the day, just as grey clouds moved into the area with the hope of rain that never appeared. While the clouds seem to be the focus of the image, one’s attention can be pulled to the wall by its subtle allure. The clouds are billowy with hints of something possible, and the wall has a rigid geometric shape that provides “soft” definition. These two subjects seem to oppose each other’s stature, and at the same time complement each others’ design elements.

Photograph Two: “Two Reflections” is an image that is filled with multiple meaning. The two subjects are seemingly the reflections of the photographers. But there is more. The construction fence divides the image so that one side is empty, the other holds voyeurs with their attention elsewhere. Another theme layered over the subjects is the entire reflection cast by mirror. Or is it the other way? Two subjects can easily move back and forth across this photograph. Which are dominant: the photographers? the fence dividing the walkway from the construction site? the mirror floating above the trees? This photograph is symbolic of the various messages that a visual representation can propose. But its overall effect is, as always, in the heart and mind of the viewer.

Photograph Three: “Pipe and Brick Wall” is clear and simple in its subject. The brick wall and a pipe, which recently has been mended, are the focus of the photograph. Each competes for the viewer’s stare. I rotated the image to make it more difficult to decide which subjects really grab the onlooker. They are competing in hues. The contrast helps to push each ahead of the other. It’s a real race for closure.

This challenge fits aptly into the way that one person sees an image versus another’s vision of the same photograph. Creative expression pushes our own notion of what we see. It’s never definitive. And the joy comes from the viewer who can decide whether the image is a glass full, half full, empty, or in a vacuum.